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Alvarez History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Sources

Alvarez History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Italy
Portugal
Spain

Etymology of Alvarez

What does the name Alvarez mean?

The distinguished surname Alvarez originated in an area of Italy, known as the Papal States. Although people were originally known only by a single name, it became necessary for people to adopt a second name to identify themselves as populations grew and travel became more frequent. The process of adopting fixed hereditary surnames was not complete until the modern era, but the use of hereditary family names in Italy began in the 10th and 11th centuries. The name Alvarez, like many surnames began as a personal name. A'lvarois is a Spanish personal name of Germanic origin, which is composed of the elements "alla," meaning "all," and "waria," meaning "protection." Other instances of the name derive from the Visigothic personal name "Alver," which comes from the elements "all" and "wer," meaning "all true."

Early Origins of the Alvarez family

The surname Alvarez was first found in the 14th century in the city of Todi, which is south of Perugia in the region of Umbria. At this time the Alviano family moved to Orvieto where they became lords of the Alviano castle and of the lands around it which were called Riofreddo and Mandola. The name appears most frequently in Campania and Calabria and in the city of Naples in particular.

Early History of the Alvarez family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Alvarez research. Another 43 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1768 and 1827 are included under the topic Early Alvarez History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Alvarez Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Alvaro, Alvarez, Alvarino, Alverino and others.

Early Notables of the Alvarez family

Prominent among members of the family was

Jose Alvarez (1768-1827), a Spanish sculptor

Alvarez World Ranking

In the United States, the name Alvarez is the 220^th most popular surname with an estimated 119,376 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Alvarez is ranked the 662^nd most popular surname with an estimated 7,169 people with that name. 2 And in South America, the name Alvarez is the 8^th popular surname with an estimated 295 people with that name. 3

Alvarez migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Alvarez Settlers in United States in the 16th Century

Anton Alvarez, who settled in America in 1512
Alonso Alvarez, who arrived in America in 1528
Ana Alvarez, who settled in America in 1535
Ana Rodriguez Alvarez, who settled in Peru in 1567
Andres Alvarez, who settled in New Granada in 1567
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Alvarez Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Antonia Alvarez, who settled in New Orleans in 1779

Alvarez Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Manuel Alvarez, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1802 4
Nicolas Alvarez, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1803 4
Julian Alvarez, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1803 4
Juliana Alvarez, who arrived in America in 1811 4
Hemand Alvarez, who landed in America in 1811 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Alvarez Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Angel Alvarez, who settled in Tampa, FL in 1901

Alvarez migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 5

Alvarez Settlers in West Indies in the 16th Century

Agustin Alvarez, who arrived in Dominican Republic in 1579

Contemporary Notables of the name Alvarez (post 1700) +

Isabel "Lefty" Álvarez (1933-2022), Cuban pitcher and outfielder who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (1949-1954)
Luis Walter Alvarez (1911-1988), American physicist, Nobel Prize winner in 1968 for his work in elementary particle research
Julia Altagracia Alvarez (b. 1950), American novelist and poet
Eugenio Alfredo Alvarez (1918-1976), American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1972; Member of New York State Assembly 75th District, 1973-74 6
Donald R. Alvarez, American Democratic Party politician, Presidential Elector for California, 1996 6
David A. Alvarez, American politician, Representative from Alabama 6th District, 1990 6
Chema Alvarez Jr., American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Texas, 1996 6
Carmen Alvarez, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 2000 6
Carlos A. Alvarez (b. 1952), American politician, Mayor of Miami-Dade County, Florida, 2004-11 6
Carlos Alvarez (b. 1986), American politician, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, California, 2009; Peace and Freedom Candidate for Governor of California, 2010 6
... (Another 34 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Alvarez family +

St. Francis Dam

Jesus Alvarez, Meixcan born American resident in Santa Clarita killed when the St. Francis Dam failed and flooded the area in 1928
Mrs. Carmen Alvarez, (nee Valenzuela), Meixcan born American resident in Santa Clarita killed when the St. Francis Dam failed and flooded the area in 1928
Miss Ynez Alvarez, Meixcan born American resident in Santa Clarita killed when the St. Francis Dam failed and flooded the area in 1928
Mr. Ramon Alvarez, American resident in Santa Clarita killed when the St. Francis Dam failed and flooded the area in 1928
Miss Julia Alvarez, Meixcan born American resident in Santa Clarita killed when the St. Francis Dam failed and flooded the area in 1928

Sources +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
"List of most common surnames in South America." Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_common_surnames_in_South_America
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html